Quick news – September 30, 2010

Remember to pray

The Military Christian Fellowship of Canada and the National House of Prayer are encouraging a special week of prayer in Ottawa during Remembrance Day week November 8-11. Participants will have the opportunity to meet and pray with leaders of the Military Christian Fellowship and also with chaplains that serve in the Canadian military and their families. The National House of Prayer is hosting visitors. The program, with all meals provided, costs $60/night. To reserve a space, call 613-789-4907.

Cardus & Manning

Cardus celebrated it’s tenth anniversary with a gathering in Hamilton where Preston Manning spoke. Manning’s lecture is available online

Giving online with the need

The Canadian Roman Catholic Church’s Organization for Development and Peace had raised more than $1 million for flood victims in Pakistan by mid-September. About 20 million people have been affected by the floods, with up to 12 million in need of urgent assistance, according to the United Nations. The Canadian government has pledged to match donations to Canadian relief agencies and has committed $40.5 million so far. For the first time, more than half the funds committed to Development and Peace came in via the Internet.

Bishops moved

Pope Benedict XVI named Douglas Crosby as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Hamilton, effective November 8. Crosby will replace the retiring Bishop Anthony Tonnos, who has led the diocese since 1984. Crosby is currently administrator of the diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador. The Pope has also appointed Gerard Paul Bergie, currently vicar general of the Diocese of Hamilton, to serve as Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of St. Catharines. This comes five months after St. Catharines Bishop James Wingle suddenly resigned citing health reasons. Wingle’s current location is unknown.

The incredible shrinking family

A new report by the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada – titled Canada’s shrinking families: Why families are getting smaller and what to do about it – identifies a demographic crunch in Canada. Canada has a birthrate of 1.6 children per woman, below the 2.1 required for replacement. Increased immigration has not offered a long term solution, and government funding for families has also not proven successful in sustaining increased birth rates. “Canada is aging rapidly, and this has numerous implications for government, business and the economy and family life, too,” says the report’s author, IMFC senior researcher Peter Jon Mitchell. “It’s not an easy thing for government to address. … Declining fertility is a personal matter, but it also changes our communities, our culture and our country.” Mitchell adds, “Canada has never had a public dialogue on the benefits of marriage, and demographic decline could provide a good context in which to do so.” The report can be read online.

A classier alternative

As part of its Back-to-School Blitz, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada has released a paper that highlights alternatives to traditional public schools for evangelical families to consider. It is available online.

Persecuted but not abandoned

Sunday, November 14 is the annual International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). This year IDOP Canada is joining its resources with those of the international IDOP group. The day will focus on the 200 million or more people around the world who are suffering for their faith in Jesus Christ. The IDOP video ‘Not Abandoned‘ can be viewed online.

He directs professors to leave the country

Christian Studies International, a Canadian non-profit organization that sponsors Christian professors to teach at public universities overseas, has appointed Harro Van Brummelen as its new Executive Director, effective September 1. Van Brummelen takes over from Henk Van Andel, who held the post for the past five years. Van Brummelen recently retired from Trinity Western University, where he was a Professor of Education and also served as Dean of the School of Education and Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

EFC new home

Bruce J. Clemenger, president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, welcomed 20 Members of Parliament or their representatives, Christian leaders and other guests to the September 27 opening of the new location for the Ottawa based Centre for Faith and Public Life: Suite 1810, 130 Albert Street, Ottawa.

Bibles to immigrants

Relaxing a ban imposed in citizenship courts in 2004, Canadian immigration officials are preparing to once again allow the distribution of Bibles to new immigrants who wish to use them for the swearing of allegiance ceremony. This Canadian Bible Society (CBS) ministry began in the early 1900s when representatives of the society were present at Pier 21 in Halifax greeting immigrants arriving on ships. “This represents both an opportunity and a challenge for CBS,” notes national director Ted Seres. “We are absolutely thrilled to see the reopening of this important link with new Canadians who are open and inquisitive about the spiritual values and the historic Christian tradition that has helped to make this country what it is.”

Opening the door to film night

MissionFest Toronto will present its first ever film night with the showing of ‘The Eastern Bride,’ an “inspiring and life-changing film” by Open Doors International, at 7 pm October 29 at The Peoples Church in Toronto.

Free to speak, not free to listen

Students found guilty of “non-academic misconduct” by the University of Calgary for having set up a pro-life display on campus in April 2010 set up the same display again September 27-28. In a letter from Associate Vice-Provost Voula Cocolakis dated September 23, the University of Calgary continued to insist that the students set up their display with the signs facing inwards (so that no passersby can see the signs).